Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash.com

Bear Lake Days

July 11th-13th, 2025

Each mid-July, the Village of Bear Lake bustles with a variety of activities for the annual Bear Lake Days. The Village is located in the northern part of Manistee County, about 15 miles north of Manistee on US 31. Activities of the 3-day festival typically include an adults and kids fishing contest, pig roast, kids games, entertainment tent, boat and pontoon parade, classic car show, arts/crafts fair, summer fun run, bike tour, Saturday night parade and fireworks.

Here's what happened in 2024:

Wednesday

6-10pm – Pre-pre Karaoke Party at Rosie’s Place- 9567 Chippewa Hwy, Bear Lake

Thursday

2-5pm – Spirits Tasting at Iron Fish Distillery- 14234 Dzuibanek Rd., Thompsonville
3-7pm – Bear Lake Community Market– Corner of US-31 & Lynn St., Bear Lake
6:30-9pm – Kick Off Party with live music at Grille 44-12951 Pleasanton Hwy, Bear Lake

Friday

10am-12pm – Pot Pals Kids Craft at Pleasanton Valley Greenhouses- 14758 Pleasanton Hwy, Bear Lake, Cost is $10
1pm – Lego Alliance for school-age children at Keddie Norconk Library- 12325 Virginia St., Bear Lake
4pm – Golf Scramble at Wolf River Golf Park, $60/2-man team
4:30-6:30pm – Pig Roast & Bake Sale at Bear Lake Methodist Church- 7861 Main St., Bear Lake, Pig roast is $12/person
6-8pm – Horse Pull at Correct Compression- 11903 Chippewa Hwy., Bear Lake, bring your own chairs, concessions available.
7pm – Boat Parade beginning at Hopkins Lake Boat Launch- 7798 Hopkins Dr., Bear Lake
9-11pm – Teen Dance under the tent

Saturday

All Day – Sidewalk Chalk Art with chalk provided by Bear Lake Soap Co.- – 7717 Lake St., Bear Lake
7am – 5k Walk/Run beginning at Hopkins Park- Hopkins Dr., Bear Lake, registration begins at 7am, Fun Run begins at 8am, 5k begins at 8:15am
9am-2pm – Mandy Schram Photography hosts one photo per family by donation at the Welcome to Bear Lake Sign
9am-3pm – Car Show at corner of US-31 and Maple St., Bear Lake, contact Bob at (231) 233-2435 or Ken at (231) 233-8870 to register
9am-5pm – Arts & Crafts and Vendor Booths on Main St., Bear Lake
9am-5pm – Visit the Bear Lake Historical Museum– 7750 Main St., Bear Lake
9am-5pm – “What makes Bear Lake, Bear Lake?” Adult Essay Contest – Short stories/paragraphs may be submitted to the Bear Lake Historical Museum
9:30am – Loop the Lake Bike Ride starting north of the Bear on US-31, registration from 9:30-10:30am
10am – Artist Mariah Scott or Rose Colored Creative Life Painting will paint a mural on the Maple Street side of Motel Bear Lake- 12273 West St., Bear Lake
10am-? – Food trucks open on Lynn St.
11am-12:30pm – Kids Games behind Bear Lake Soap Co.
11am-1pm – Kids Activities & Fire trucks on display at Bear Lake Township Fire Department- 7771 Lake St., Bear Lake
11am-2pm – Dunk tank & Face Painting with Debbie Tiefenthal at Filer Credit Union- 7685 Lake St., Bear Lake
12pm – Blooey Meet & Greet at Keddie Norconk Library
12-3pm – Photo Booth with Kristin White of Up North Photo Booth
12-4pm – DJ Beats on the deck at Maggie’s- 7710 Lake St., Bear Lake
1pm – Listen to the Church Organ at the Bear Lake Historical Museum
1-4pm – Free carriage rides provided by Fantail Farm, LLC. Meet by the Bear Lake Post Office- 7777 Main St., Bear Lake
2pm – Show by Magician John Russell under the tent
2pm – Corn Hole Competition at Bear Lake Fire Department. $40 per team
3-4pm – Pie Eating Contest under the tent
3-5pm – Fairy Hair by Shanna
6-7:30pm – Scottvile Clown Band performs at the Blarney Warehouse Parking Lot- 12218 West St., Bear Lake
7pm – Bear Lake Days Parade Line-up beginning at Bear Lake High School- 7748 Cody St., Bear Lake, parade begins at 8pm
Between Parade & Fireworks- Live music featuring The Cook Family Band under the tent
10:30pm – Fireworks over Bear Lake

Sunday

8-11am – Bear Lake Pancake Breakfast at Lakeside Cafe-7833 Lake St., Bear Lake
10:30am-12pm – First Baptist Church Service with live music under the tent

These Activities Typically Happen on Multiple Days

Thursday-Sunday from 9am-5pm – DIY Miniature Gardens at Pleasanton Valley Greenhouses
Friday at 8am through Saturday at 6pm – Kid’s Fishing Contest, Check-in fish from 11am-12pm and 5-6pm both days at Bear Lake Hopkins Park Boat Launch- 12376 Virginia St., Bear Lake
Friday at 8am-Saturday at 12pm – Photo Contest, visit facebook.com for category
Friday at 12pm through Sunday at 5pm – “Why I Love Bear Lake” Artwork Event at Saddle Up Gas & Grocery- 12991 Pleasanton Hwy, Bear Lake, Kids who drop off artwork about why they love Bear Lake will receive a free small slushy or small popcorn
Friday from 5-7pm and Saturday from 10am-6pm – Promoters Booth T-shirt Sales under the tent.
Saturday from 10am-7pm and Sunday from 10am-1pm when winners will be notified – Triginta Club Silent Auction at Bear Lake Township Hall- 777 Lake St., Bear Lake.
Bear Lake Days Hard Cash at Absolute Auto Repair & Auto- 7530 Chippewa Hwy., Kaleva.